Erin is currently an associate director with the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. She is a big reason why Iowa sanctioned girls wrestling. A native of Panora, Iowa, Erin graduated from Iowa State University before earning her masters at Oklahoma State. This is a very insightful episode of all the behind-the-scenes work Erin and her team puts in to make girls wrestling in Iowa as successful at it can be. It also entails where her passion for wrestling (and sports in general) all started....

Chris is from Westlake, Ohio and wrestled at St. Edward High School under legendary head coach Greg Urbas. Chris enlisted in the Air Force and wrestled at the United States Air Force Academy, earning team captain as a senior. Chris is now in the Air Force Reserve and flies for UPS. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Major Chris Szabolcs! Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast:...

Brett was one of those guys I could never beat growing up. I don’t know how many times we wrestled, but he always found a way to come out on top. Anyway, Brett  was a 4x state qualifier for West Delaware and placed 4th as a senior. He went on to wrestle at Wartburg and qualified for the national tournament as a senior. Nowadays, Brett is an assistant coach at Waukee Northwest and a personal trainer at Life Time Athletic. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Brett Yonkovic! Let's Talk...

Reese is from Reno, Nevada, but attended high school at Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania. She won a silver medal at the 15U World Combat Games in Budapest and also won both the 16U and U20 national championships. Reese currently wrestles 143 lbs. for the University of Iowa. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Reese Larramendy! Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast:...

Mack is a four-time state champion for Don Bosco, the 13th in Iowa High School state history. For college, Mack went north and attended the University of Minnesota. As a Golden Gopher, he was a 3x All-American at 133 lbs. Between high school and college, Mack won a total of 294 matches. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2014. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Mack Reiter! Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ ---...

Rachel is a registered dietitian as well as an InterMat correspondent who covers the SOCON. She also created her own wrestling apparel called Tough Wrestling and we have a discount code for you in this very episode that will get you 15% off your next purchase! Listen to the episode and you can find Tough Wrestling apparel at toughwrestling.com. Prior to all this, Rachel was a manager with the App State wrestling team. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Rachel Gallardo! Tough Wrestling...

Tiffany grew up in Cumberland, Iowa and has been around the sport her entire life. She moved to New Mexico and got into coaching. Tiffany started as a youth coach before moving into the club scene. She then became the first female assistant coach in the state of New Mexico. After COVID, Tiffany moved back to southwest Iowa and is now the head coach of the Southwest Area Wrestling Team (or S.W.A.T. for short). So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Tiffany South! Let's Talk Wrestling...

Dale wrestled at Cedar Rapids Prairie for Coach Ron James. After high school, Dale wrestled at Northwest Missouri State, where he is the all-time wins leader. Dale became a teacher once he graduated and excelled in the educational field. He started in Nebraska before working his way back to Iowa, stopping at Akron-Westfield and Midland before finishing out as superintendent of both MFL MarMac and Eastern Allamakee Community School Districts. In listening to Dale you will find he intertwines a...

Tony is the head coach of Augsburg University, a DIII powerhouse in Minneapolis, MN. He started as a grad assistant in 2012 before going the staff full-time in 2015. Tony became the co-head coach in 2019 and assumed solo duties in 2022. He’s helped lead the Auggies to 3 national titles over his time and is hoping to provide similar results this year. Tony is a graduate of Augsburg University and was a 3x All-American himself. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Coach Tony Valek! Let's...

CJ is in his freshman season wrestling 184 at UNI. He’s from Keokuk, IA and wrestled at Notre Dame-West Burlington High School. After a 3rd place finish his sophomore year, CJ won back-to-back state titles at 182 lbs., which included a traditional team title by .5 in 2022. CJ seems to have found his seat on the Panther Train, as he won the Grand View Open’s freshman/sophomore division and placed 2nd at the Daktronics Open. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, CJ Walrath! Let's Talk...

Levi wrestled for the vaunted Cedar Valley Mat Club, one of the toughest clubs back in the day. He went on to become a 4x Iowa High School state finalist and 2x state champion for Denver-Tripoli while also leading them to a state dual and traditional state title in 2010. Levi went on to wrestle at UNI, becoming a 2x NCAA qualifier and made the bloodround in 2013. Unfortunately, injuries took a toll on the rest of his college career. Levi now lives back near Denver and works with his best...

Steve is in his 18th season at the helm of St. Cloud State University. Since taking over the program in 2006, Steve has turned the Huskies into a DII powerhouse, winning 5 national team titles and finishing as runner-up another 4 times. He’s coached over 120 national qualifiers, including over 80 All-Americans and 8 national champions. As a wrestler, Steve was a 3x All-American at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Coach Steve Costanzo! Let's Talk...

Madilynn is from Clinton, IA and graduated from Camanche High School, where she was all-state in 3 sports in high school: volleyball, basketball and softball. She chose to attend Coe College and compete in both volleyball and softball. Madilynn has excelled at both sports, helping both programs reach the postseason. She earned league MVP honors in volleyball and the softball team finished 3rd at the DIII National Championships last spring. Needless to say, Madilynn is one of the best athletes...

Arelys is from Clewiston, FL, where she was a 3x state placewinner and 2x state runner-up. Arelys started her college career at Missouri Baptist University before finishing her career at the University of the Cumberlands as a 2x All-American. Aside from competing on the senior level circuit, Arelys has entered the coaching realm. She spent one year at Brewton-Parker College before landing as the Assistant Coach of the Grand View Women’s wrestling team. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy,...

Jeremy is from Cascade, Iowa and wrestled for the Cougars. He went on to wrestle at Loras College just down the road in Dubuque. Jeremy didn’t quite achieve the accolades on the mat that he hoped. However, he didn’t let that hinder his passion for the sport. Jeremy landed as an Assistant Coach at Dubuque Wahlert and helped lead them to a state team title in 2018. His story is a lesson that your wrestling credentials don’t determine how successful of a coach you can be. Jeremy now hosts a...

Adam was a 2x California state champion in high school, competing for both Hiram Johnson High School and Buchanan High School. Adam went on to become an Illini legend. He was a 3x All-American for Head Coach Mark Johnson and was a national champion in 2001 while helping Illinois to a 5th place finish as a team. Adam was inducted into the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020. Now living back in Fresno, CA, Adam coaches at powerhouse Clovis High School with his dad, Stephen. So please, sit...

Lenny is from Stroudsburg, PA and won a state title as a junior. Unfortunately, knee injuries derailed his senior year. Lenny chose to attend the University of Nebraska, where lingering knee issues kept him off the mat his redshirt year. But Lenny thrived last year in his first season in the lineup at 184, finishing 5th at Big Ten’s and qualifying for the NCAA tournament. I think Lenny is someone Husker coaches and fans are really excited about moving forward. I can’t wait to see what his...

Phillip is from Vernal, Utah and was a 2x state champion for Uintah High School. Phillip went on to wrestle at the University of Iowa and became a 3x All-American. He was also a part of 3 Big Ten and NCAA team champions. In my opinion, Phillip was the glue of those teams. He was tough, gritty and just someone you could always count on to get the job done. That’s why he was my favorite wrestler during that time. Phillip now lives back in his hometown of Vernal and is the head wrestling coach...

Bubba is from Manhattan, Kansas and won a Kansas state title in 2019. Bubba now wrestles 165 for the Huskers and was Redshirt of the Year during the 2019-2020 season after posting a 19-1 record. Heading into his junior year, Bubba has qualified twice for the NCAA tournament and is looking to take the next step this year for the Huskers. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Bubba Wilson! Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this...

I wouldn’t want to start this new and exciting season any other way. Eric was the very first guest on the podcast and I’m happy to continue sharing his story. Since graduating from the University of Nebraska, Eric has turned his attention to the Senior Level and currently competes at the NWRTC. He won both the Bill Farrell Open and the Henri Deglane to go along with a 4th place finish at the US Open. Eric also recently celebrated his wedding with his wife, Clare. Clare is a talented...

Tim graduated from Morning Sun High School and went to Coe College. Tim just signed on for his 17th season with the Big Ten Network and will be his 38th season of broadcasting overall, which started back in 1986 with Iowa Public Television. Tim is also a big advocate for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a community working to see the world transformed by Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes. A lot of positive energy and just an overall great conversation lies within...

Paul was the first wrestler I really looked up to at MFL MarMac. He was intense, a hard worker and one hell of a competitor. Paul was Chet’s first 4x Upper Iowa Conference Champion. He qualified for state 3 times and placed 8th as a senior. Paul also wrestled on the same team as his brothers Phil, Peter and Pat, which was a pretty special moment for the Fisk family. Paul now lives in Cresco and helps run the family business called Fisk Farm and Home in Decorah. So please, sit back, relax and...

As most everyone probably knows, James recently announced he’ll be returning to the mat once again. James was the man at 70kg for 6 years, capturing World silver and bronze along the way. Along with his return to competing, James is also an Assistant Coach on the Nebraska staff, where James himself was a 4x All-American. While James has all these accomplishments on the mat, we touch more on who James is as a person. It was a pleasure to peel back the layers and find out a little more about...

Brock is heading into his sophomore season at the University of Nebraska after a successful freshman year that ended in a 6th place finish at NCAA’s. Before he gets his college season underway, Brock will be traveling to Albania to compete in the U23 World Championships at 65kg. Competition gets underway October 23, with Brock’s first match coming at 3:30am ET on Tuesday the 24th. Best of luck to Brock and all of Team USA as they look to bring home some hardware. So please, sit back, relax...

Jason has been announcing or covering wrestling in some capacity since his high school days at Poquoson High School in Virginia. Jason’s accomplishments are too long to list, a testament to just how successful his career has been to this point. Even after everything he has achieved thus far, Jason still has a chip on his shoulder and strives to continuously improve his craft, something I think we all can admire. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Jason Bryant! Let's Talk Wrestling...